| For Immediate Release Friday 4 November 2022 PRESS RELEASE: Anti racists to march on ‘Get Braverman Out’ bloc on London demonstration, tomorrow, Saturday 5 November, with local protests across Britain and major vigil on 24 November Stand Up To Racism, Care4Calais and the TUC are mobilising for tomorrow’s Braverman Must Go – Refugees Welcome bloc on the People’s Assembly demonstration in London, assembling from 11am opposite Cleopatra’s Needle. The bloc has been organised in the wake of widespread anger following Suella Braverman’s comments this week.Protests are being called across Britain – see here The terror attack on the Dover migrant centre and the humanitarian crisis at Manston show the sheer brutality of home secretary Suella Braverman’s policy on attacking refugee and migrant rights.Her talk of an ‘invasion of Southern England’ just days after the attack on asylum seekers at Dover can only give legitimacy and confidence to the far right and lead to more violent attacks, anti racists warn.Her direct intervention to worsen conditions at Manston shows that the government has no intention of living up to its international commitments to refugees. The ‘Rwanda Plan’ for offshore detention of asylum seekers has been legally challenged by the civil service union PCS, the charity Care4calais and others. Its legality is still being considered in the courts. Anti racists, such as the #StopRwanda campaign led by the TUC, Care4Calais, Stand Up To Racism, the PCS and ten other unions, Refugee Council, Amnesty International UK and many others, have been campaigning and leading protests throughout the stages of the Rwanda plan. The change of Prime Minister and Home Secretary should, anti racists say, now be the trigger for the withdrawal of this flawed, immoral and racist policy. Stand Up To Racism, Care4Calais and the TUC are also organising for a vigil demonstration on the anniversary of the 32 Channel drowning on Friday 24 November, 6pm, Westminster Abbey. Clare Moseley, Care4Calais CEO, said: “At the start of the week, the Home Secretary used dangerous divisive language to demonise the genuine asylum seekers that we work with every day, who are seeking sanctuary in the UK from war, torture and human rights abuses. “We hope to end the week having sent a very clear message to the Government that the people of this country welcome refugees by joining thousands of people on Saturday’s demonstration.” Weyman Bennett co-convenor of Stand Uo To Racism said: “It is an astonishing development that a far right terror attack has taken place targeting refugees and there has been no condemnation from the government, but instead the comment by Braverman depicting refugees as an “invasion”, and by Tory MP Chris Philip saying refugees “have a cheek” to complain about conditions. The inhumane, despicable and illegal conditions at Manston are an endictment of this government’s racism, and must be condemned outright. “This is one of the weakest governments yet, and the scale of its mishandling of the pandemic, the economy, the cost of living crisis and the ecological disaster is criminal. It seeks to shift the blame in the most vicious of ways, letting people drown in the Channel, imprisoning people in desperate conditions, and whipping up racist violence towards them. “We have to make sure that the Tory crisis and the politics of scapegoating are opposed. The rise of the far right in Italy and Sweden is a sober reminder of why we have to mobilise, all of us – black, white, Muslim – together, to oppose all divisions.” For more information, interviews and further quotes: info@standuptoracism.org.uk NOTE: Stand Up To Racism is a broad based anti racist organisation supported by trade unions, faith and campaign organisations. |
